European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said today that restoration of freedom of navigation in the Strait of Hormuz was of "paramount" importance.
She also said the commission will publish proposals for energy price measures on 22 April.
Ms von der Leyen was speaking in Brussels where the European Commission has been holding an emergency meeting on the consequences of the conflict in the Middle East.
"The ongoing closure of the Strait of Hormuz is greatly damaging. The restoration of the freedom of navigation is of paramount importance for us," she said.
She added that there could be no stability in the Middle East while Lebanon was still being bombarded.
Mr McGrath has been liaising with senior Commission officials over the weekend on a letter sent late last week by Taoiseach Micheál Martin and Tánaiste Simon Harris to Ursula von der Leyen, seeking flexibility on EU rules in relation to lowering excise duties on fuel.
Von der Leyen said EU member states must coordinate on energy prices amid a €22 billion increase in fossil fuel bills since the start of the Iran war.
"We're also looking into coordination of member states' gas storage filling to avoid that many member states go to the market at the same time," she said.
"And we will coordinate oil stock releases, to achieve the largest possible effect, and we will ensure that member states' emergency measures will not impact the single market," she added.
Ms von der Leyen said that the commission's proposals on energy price measures, due on 22 April, will be discussed by EU leaders at an informal summit next week.
Separately, she said, the commission will present an electrification strategy before the summer.
She said the EU is paying a very high price for its over-reliance on fossil fuels and warned that fossil fuel energy is likely to remain the most expensive option in the years ahead.
She added that more structural measures are needed to bring down energy prices and said the EU’s strategy to decarbonise is becoming more important over time.
